Carton sealing machine



1388- 1940- G. w. ANDERSON CARTON SEALING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORMW d .MQMQm.

ATTORNEY 19, 194%. w ANDERSON I 2,224,716

CARTON SEALING MACHINE I Filed NOV. 15, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY.

G. W. ANDERSON CARTON SEALING MACHINE Dec. 10, 1940. 7

Filed Nov. 15, 1938 3 sheet's-sh et a Patented Dec. 10, 1940 UNITED s'rATEs PATENT OFFICE;

-- I mm some mom Gustaf-W. Anderson, North Quincy. assignor to Pneumatic Scale Corporation, limited, Quincy, Masa, a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 15, 1938, Serial No. 240,481

'1 Claims. (01. 93-6) applying adhesive to the faceof the tucking flap, for then moving the flap into its completely closed position. and for thereafter applying and maintaining pressure against the glued flaps to seal the same during the progress of the cartons through the machine.

Another object of the invention is to .provide a novel and improvedv machine for sealing cartons in which provision is made for applying adhesive to the vertically disposed portion of a tucking iiap while in its partially closed position in a novel and superior manner.

with these objects in. view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the carton sealing machine and in the various structures, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is aside elevation of apparatus embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the apps ratus shown in Fig. 1, illustrating the adhesive applying device on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the adhesive applying device to be referred to; Fig. 4 is an end view of. the adhesive applying device, partly in cross-sec-' tion; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic side elevation illustrating the adhesive applying and top closing operations; Fig. 6 is a plan viuv of the carton closing and pressure applying apparatus; Fig. 7 is an end view in cross-section on the line 'I-l of Fig 6; Fig. 8 is a perspective detail view of a portion of the side pressure chains, to be referred to, 1

. and Fig. 9.is a perspective view of a carton showplying adhesive to the face of the tucking flap and for thereafter closing the tucking flap and maintaining the top and sides of the closed carton under pressure for a suitable length of time until the glue has had time to set during the progress of the cartonthrough the machine, In the preferred embodiment of the inventiomthepresent carton sealing machine includes novel mechanism, preferably a horizontally disposed adhesive applyingTolier. for applying adhesive to the exposed face of the partially closed tuck iiap of the carton as'the latter is moved past the adhesive applying Provisionisalsomadcforsupiflfl l adhesive to thehorizontally disposed roller and for maintaining a film of adhesive of suitable thickness upon the periphery thereof in a novel and superior manner. a

The operations of inserting and partially closing the tuck flaps of the cartons passage thereof through the present apparatus maybe performed in any of the usual or preferred machines now upon the market, not shown, or such'operations may be performed manually if desired. It will be understood that in practice the carton may also be p'rovided with the usual end 'flaps in addition to the top tucking flap, the end flaps have already been folded in under the tucking flap prior to the introduction of the carton to the present carton sealing machine. In add tion, the 'under side of the top flap may havebeen supplied with a coating of adhesive to be adhesively ailixed to the end flaps when the carton is completely closed.

as will be described.

Referring now to the drawing, the cartons Iii may and preferably will be delivered to the present carton sealing machine from a; packaging machine, indicated generally in dotted lines at l2, in' which the carton has been filled and pre-. pared to be received by the present apparatus. As illustrated in Fig, 9. the filled carton is delivered into the carton sealing machine with its end flaps i4 folded under the partially closed top flap it, having its tucking portion I8 partially inserted into the top of the carton. The undersurface of the top flap It may also have been provided with strips of adhesive 20 applied thereto in a position is closed down, as clearly shown in'Fig. 9.. As

hereinbefore stated the carton may be prepared in this manner if preferred. In any event, the carton flap I6 is maintained in its partially closed position simply by the frictional engagement 'of the tucking portion l8 with the upper portion of the front wall of the body portion of the carton.

As illustrated in Fig. l the cartons l0 are delivered to the carton sealing machine across a bridge plate I l and thecartons are supported and continuously advanced through the present machine upon a lower conveyor belt 22 which cooperates with an upper pressure belt 24 to apply pressure to the top of the carton to set'the glued flaps after the adhesive applying operation; The driven belts 2 2, I. are arranged to run.over pulleys 20, 28 and ll, 32 respectively, carried upon.

separate frame units 84, I8. The frame units are. supported upon standards II, and the upper unit II is preferably arranged to be raised or low- I ered upon the standards 80, II to conform to the height of the cartons being operated upon. The I belts 22 and 24 maybe driven through the; chain and sprocket drives 42. ll from a motor II and gear reduction unit 40, as clearly shown in Fig.1.

Such apparatus for applying and maintaining pressure to the endsof the cartons as they pass therethrough may be of conventional form, commonly known in the trade as a dryer and con- 5 stitutes of itself no part of the present invention It will be observed that the upper belt 24 is disposed in a position to engage the cartons after the latter have passed the adhesive applying mechanism. In passing to and from the adhesive applying mechanism, indicated generally at 48,-

the cartons are guided between lower guide rails 5b, 52 and a short narrow upper belt 54, running over pulleys 56, 58 and driven at the same rate of speed as the lower belt 22. The narrow upper belt 54 cooperates with the lower belt 22 in advancing and supporting the carton past the adhesive applying device 138 and as herein shown, see Fig. 4, the narrow upper belt 54 is disposed in a positionsuch as to engage the top of the cartons adjacent the near wall thereof so that any pressure applied to the end of the carton by the belt 54 will merely flex the fiap I6 slightly without operating to close the top down. As herein shown, the belt 54 is driven at the same rate ofspeed as 26 the'belt 22 through connections from the driven shaft SI! upon'which the pulley 30 is mounted, and which connections include a chain and sprocket drive, indicated generally at 62, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. An upper guide rail 64 30 is also provided which serves to support the top of the cartonlaterally during the application of adhesive to the flap id as will be described. In order to assure that each flap is tucked down a uniform depth into the carton and to prevent the 35 flaps from riding up out of the carton under the influence of the adhesive applying roller 65, a guide roller 66 is provided, disposed above the carton in alignment with the tucking edge and which is arranged to engage the top of the flap 40 above the tucking portion thereof.

As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, the mechanism for handling and applying the fluid adhesive includes a supply tank or reservoir 68 mounted upon the frame of the machine; The glue is pumped 4,5 from the tank 68 through an upright pipe 10 preferably comprising a standard form of centrifugal pump and the glue is delivered from the pump 12 through a horizontal pipe I4 directly onto the edge of the horizontally arranged glue applying roller 65.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention,

provision is made for removing the surplus adhesive deposited upon the horizontally arranged roller and for returning the excess adhesive to 55 the supply tank 28 in order to provide a continuportion 24 which embraces the roller. A beveled edge 88 at the end of the slot 24 is arranged to yo engage the periphery of the applying roller 65 which operates to control the thickness of the film of glue deposited thereon. As shown in Fig.

. 3, provision is made-for adjusting the beveled edge It with relation to the periphery of the u roller, the side ll being provided with horizontally arranged slots 88 through which the fastening bolts 90 extend. Thus, in a simple and efllcient manner a constant and uniform film of adhesive is supplied to the horizontally arranged adhesive applying roller 65 without the necessity of addi- 5 tional or intermediate rollers for controlling the thickness of the adhesive, and without any drip or leakage of the adhesive from the roller.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, provision is made for continuously driving the 10 centrifugal pump l2 and the glue applying roller 65 during the operation of the machine, through connections from the driven shaft fill. As shown in Fig. 4, the adhesive applying roller 65 is mounted upon a vertical shaft 92 which is jourl5 the vertically disposed face of the tucking flap 25 I8 tangentially disposed with relation to the adhesive applying roller 65 so that in operation, the roller 65, being rotated in timed relation to the movement of the cartons through the machine, operates to apply a strip of adhesive 6 i0 upon the face of the flap I8.

After leaving the adhesive applying station 48 the carton passes under the pressure belt 24 which engages the forward edge of the top flap I6 and operates to force the tucking flap I8 down into its completely closed position as the carton passes thereunder. As illustrated in Fig. 1, pressure is applied to the belt 24 by weighted rollers 2 which are loosely mounted in vertical slots II4 provided in the supporting rails H6 attached 40 to upper frame unit 36 of the machine frame. The pressure belt 24 as hereinbefore described, is driven at the same rate of speed as the lower belt 22 and cooperates therewith to advance the carton through the machine, and the belts are of a suitable length in orderto maintain pressure upon the closed and adhesively secured tops of I the cartons for a sufficient length of time to firmly set the glued top flaps. The lower belt 22 is supported on its under side by rollers I I8 journaled in the supporting rails I20, attached to the lower frame unit 34 of the machine frame.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and '7, in addition to the application of pressure to the tops of the cartons, provis on is also made in the preferred embodiment of the invention for applying side pressure "to the upper portion of the longitudinal side .walls of the carton in order to firmly set the glue of the inserted and adhesively secured flap I8. As herein shown, side pressure is ap: plied by endless driven chains I22, I24 which are arranged to move along with the cartons and at the same rate of speed as the conveyor belts 22, 24. Each chain, as illustrated in detail in Fig. 8, is made up of a plurality of links I22 of a type designed to present a substantially flat surface against the. sides of the carton. Each chain I22, I24 is arranged to run in longitudinal side guides I28, I20 respectively, which guides or rimners 7 are supported from the upper frame unit 20 of the machine frame, and which are arranged to be adjusted laterally to provide the desired pres- 1 sure against the sides of the carton. The driven chains I22, I24 are arranged to run over sprock- 7 ets l32, I 34 and I36, l38 respectively and each chain is provided with the usual idler sprockets I40 and rollers I42 in order to maintain the chains in a taut condition. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6, the side pressure chains are driven through connections from the driving shaft I44, upon which the pulley 32 is mounted, including the bevel gears M6, I48 secured to'the shaft I44, and which are in mesh with the bevel gears I50, I52 respectively.

From the above description it will be observed that the present carton sealing machine enables the cartons of the type provided with a tucking flap top closure to be. adhesively secured in a simple and practical manner, and in a manner such as to reduce to a minimum any liability of damaging or marking the external surface of the carton. V

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A carton sealing machine forfsealing cartons having a top closure provided with a tucking flap having, in combination, adhesive applying mechanism mounted and adapted to apply adhesive to a partially inserted tucking flap as the carton is moved therepast, and means movable with the carton for supporting and moving the latter during the adhesive applying operation including a lower conveyer belt upon which the carton is supported and an upper relatively narrow belt adapted to engage the rear edge of the top of the carton. 1

2. A carton sealing machine for sealing cartons having a top closure provided with a tucking flap having, in combination, adhesive applying mechanism mounted and adapted to apply adhesive to a partially inserted tucking flap as the carton is moved therepast, and means movable with the carton for supporting and moving the latter during the adhesive applying operation including a lower conveyer belt upon which the carton is supported and an upper relatively narrow belt adapted to engage the rear edge of the,

top of the carton, and means for completing the closing of the top closure while the cartonis moving including a second upper belt under which the cartons pass after the adhesive applying operation. 7

3. A carton sealing machine for sealing cartons having a top closure provided with a-tucking flap having, in combination, a horizontally disposed driven glue applying roller mounted and adapted to apply adhesive to the front portion of .a partially inserted tucking flap as the carton is moved.thereby, means movable with the carton for supporting and moving the latter during the adhesive applying operation, said glue applying roller being driven at a rate such as to provide a surface speed equal to the linear speed of the cartons being moved therepast.

4. A carton sealingmacbine for sealing cartons having a top closure provided with a tucking flap having, in combination, ahorlzontally disposed driven glue applying roller mounted and adapted to apply adhesive to the front portion of a partially inserted tuckingflap as the carton is moved thereby, means'movablc with the cartonfor supporting and moving thelatter during the adhesive applying operation including a lower conveyer belt upon which the carton is supported and an upper relatively narrow belt adapted "to engage the rear edge of the top of the carton,

said glue applying roller being driven so as to have a surface speed equal to the linear speed of said upper and lower belts.

5. A carton sealing machine for sealing cartons having a top closure provided with a tucking flap having, in combination, a horizontally disposed drivenglue applying roller mounted and.

adapted to apply adhesive to the front portion of a partially inserted tucking flap as the carton is moved thereby, means movable with the carton for supporting and moving the latter duringthe adhesive applying operation including a lower conveyer belt upon which the carton is sup ported and an upper relatively narrow belt adapted to engage the rear edge of the top of the carton, said glue applying roller being driven so as to have a surface speed equalto the linear speed of said upper and lower belts, and means for completing the closing of the top closure while the carton is moving including a second upper belt under which the cartons pass after the adhesive applying operation.

6. A carton sealing machinefor sealing car- 'ton's having a top closure provided with atucking flap having, in combination, a horizontally disposed driven glue applying roller mounted and adapted to apply adhesive to the front portion of a partially inserted tucking flap as the carton is moved thereby, meansmovable with the carton for supporting and moving the latter during the adhesive applying operation including a lower conveyer belt upon which the carton is supported and an upper relatively narrow belt adapted .to engage the rear edge of the top of the carton, and means for maintaining said tucking flap in its partially-inserted position in the carton during the adhesive applying operation comprising a roller mounted to engage the top flap at a point adjacent the top of the tucking of a paritally inserted tucking flap as the carton' is moved thereby, means movable with the earton for supporting and moving the latter'dure ing the adhesive applying operation including a lower conveyer belt upon which the carton is supported and an upper relatively narrow belt adapted to engage the rear edge of the top of the carton, said glue applying roller being driven so as to have a surface speed equal to the linear speed of said upper and lower belts, means for "completing the closing of the top closure while the carton is moving including a 'secondupper belt under which the cartons pass after the ad hesive applying operation, and meansmovable.

with the carton for applying side pressure adjacent the sealedand'closed tucking flap whereby to press the adjacent side wall of the carton against the adhesive tucking flap.

- GUSTAF W. ANDERSON. 

